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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23499730">Night People</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bat_Crap_Crazy/pseuds/Bat_Crap_Crazy'>Bat_Crap_Crazy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Give Into The Night [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Big Brother RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:29:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23499730</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bat_Crap_Crazy/pseuds/Bat_Crap_Crazy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you like the dark?<br/>Do you like the way it moves?<br/>Do you come alive when neon Kills the sunshine?<br/>Are you hypnotized?<br/>Innocence and fashion<br/>Promises and passion<br/>Evolution, revolution ways<br/>And everybody stays<br/>Night people"-- Dio</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Frankie Grande/Zach Rance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Give Into The Night [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691077</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was supposed to be part 2 of "Give In To the Night" with a possible third part to follow.  I have all the notes I need, at least for this book (and a lot for the third), but I no longer have the desire to write for Zankie.  I'm truly sorry that I posted these first three chapters before realizing I just couldn't finish.  I won't take this down though because it is a nice finish to the original story of what happened immediately after the last chapter.</p><p>As for me, I have changed my name on this site and am now writing for other fandoms.  Ones that are based on fictional characters.  Those are a lot easier because they are already canon and don't suddenly go off-the-rails and become a cringing embarrassment.</p><p>Thank all of you who were with me on this crazy journey.  It sure was fun, for a while, wasn't it?  Much love and appreciation to all of you!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zach became aware that his eyes were open and he was staring up at the night sky.  But it was like no other sky he had ever seen before.  Instead of the little silvery-white dots in the sky that he was used to seeing, there were large, colorful orbs scattered about amongst them.  He tried to move his eyes to see them better but found he could not move them.  Some instinct whispered to him to relax and give it time. </p><p><br/>
Moments passed and he felt himself blink.  His eyes were then loosened and he could scan the sky more freely.  He felt very confused and disoriented.  He wasn’t sure where he was or why the sky was so peculiar.  He stared in fascination as he noticed that the darkness surrounding him was moving.  It danced and swayed and tumbled around like waves upon the shore.  He had never seen the night move in such a way.</p><p><br/>
He studied the night sky for a while and then slid his gaze down to a tree that was across from him.  He could see each crack and crevice in the gnarled bark.  He swept his eyes upwards and could see the tiny buds that were forming to replace the leaves that had been lost in the autumn.</p><p><br/>
A flickering light caught his attention.  At first he thought it was a tiny star but then he realized that it was darting towards him at a high speed.  He tried to will himself to move but his body wouldn’t listen to his mind.  As the little light got nearer, Zach begin to think that it was a winged insect of some kind so he relaxed and stopped fighting to make his body wake up.</p><p><br/>
Within moments, the light was near his face.  His first thought was that it was a moth, but then he noticed what appeared to be limbs on the creature.  Very much like the limbs of humans and the magical creatures that Zach had met.  He was frowning in concentration.  He couldn’t understand why an insect would have both limbs and wings.  The tiny creature got a bit closer and Zach was shocked to see that it had a face that looked very human and long, flowing hair.</p><p><br/>
She pointed to his face and then to her own.  She frowned at him, mimicking his expression.  He wanted to laugh, but that was beyond his capabilities, so he smoothed his brow.  She smiled at him and nodded.  Zach knew that she was reassuring him that she would not harm him.</p><p><br/>
She was very obviously a magical being, and one he had never encountered before.  He remembered when Frankie told him about the Brownies that lived inside the walls of his home in Italy that kept the house spotless and prepared meals for them.  Frankie said it was rude to look for them so Zach had never seen what they looked like.  He wondered if this tiny being was a Brownie.</p><p><br/>
No sooner that he had the thought when the tiny creature shook her head ‘No’ at him.</p><p><br/>
Zach blinked in surprised.  He directed a thought to her.  “Can you read my mind?”</p><p><br/>
She smiled and nodded at him.</p><p><br/>
“What happened to me?  Do you know?”</p><p><br/>
She nodded.  She seemed lost in thought for a moment and then pointed to him.  She pointed to her upper lip with her finger and then demonstrated licking her top lip.  Her face grimaced and she grabbed her midsection as if in pain.  She plunged an imaginary dagger into her stomach and then yanked it out and fell down flat on her back.  She floated in midair for a moment before righting herself and moving back to look closely in his face.</p><p><br/>
If he could have, he would have nodded to her.  He remembered.  He was trying to get away from the Kingdom and Frankie was angry.  Zach was angry too and was screaming at Frankie when the pain became too intense.  There had been a bit of rabbit blood on his lips and he had accidentally swallowed it and it had given him enormous pain.<br/>
The little being shook her head ‘no’ very vigorously.</p><p><br/>
Zach frowned.  He had something wrong, but he didn’t understand what it was.</p><p><br/>
She reached up and put two fingers behind her head and had them sticking up.  She shook her head ‘no’.  Zach studied her for a moment and he finally understood what she was saying was ‘no rabbit’.  He deduced what she meant was that the blood he swallowed that caused him so much pain did not come from one of the rabbits.  But if not a rabbit, where did it come from?</p><p><br/>
She smoothed her wings down close to her body so that they resembled a cloak.  Then her eyes turned red and she made claws appear on the tips of her fingers.  “It was vampire blood?” Zach sent the question to her.  “Frankie’s blood?  How?”</p><p><br/>
He watched as she acted out Frankie finding Zach on the ground and hurrying to him.  She pretended to bite her wrist and lower it as Frankie had lowered near Zach’s mouth.  Suddenly she mimicked becoming angry and jerking her wrist away.  She paused the movement of her wrist and with the other hand, she traced the invisible fall of one errant drop of blood as it landed on Zach’s upper lip.</p><p><br/>
“Just one drop?  That’s all that is needed?” he thought.  His mind suddenly flashed on a few occasions when Temperance would tell him that if the magic was strong, only a tiny amount was needed.  He looked at the little creature and sent a thought to her, “I can’t move.  The only things working are my eyes.  Am I doomed to live this way?”</p><p><br/>
She shook her head no.  She pointed to her eyes and nodded.  Then in secession she indicated her nose, her ears, and her mouth.  She moved her head and upper body around and then finally her legs.</p><p><br/>
He was preparing to send her the message that he understood when he was overwhelmed with the smell of dead blood.  It was a mixture of rabbit and human.  It was disgusting and he was frozen in place and forced to smell it.  He sent the thought to her that his nose had woken up but he was happier before it did.  She laughed and nodded.</p><p><br/>
Zach tried to take only small breaths but he had no control over his lungs.  They continued to force him to breathe normally.  “Frankie left me, didn’t he?  I said some things…I shouldn’t have.  If I could take them all back…” Zach thought and the tiny creature shook her head rapidly as if to say, “No! No! No!”  She looked at a spot behind Zach for a moment, and then turned her attention back to him.  In midair, she dropped to her knees, dug her fingers deep into her hair, turned her face up to the sky, and opened her mouth to scream.  She held this position for a while.  Zach could see the look of extreme misery on her face and it broke his heart to think Frankie had felt that way.</p><p><br/>
Slowly, and as if from a very long distance away, he began to realize he could hear her screams.  As his hearing grew stronger, the screams grew louder.  She resumed her previous posture and her mouth was closed, but Zach could still hear the wailing.  He realized that she hadn’t shown him something that had happened in the past, but rather something that was happening in the present.  It was Frankie he was hearing.  Zach opened his mouth and to his relief heard himself calling out, “Frankie, I’m here!  I’m back!” but Frankie’s wailing never paused.</p><p><br/>
“Where is he?” Zach asked the little creature.  She pointed to an area behind him and Zach felt his head turning to follow her finger.  He flipped over onto his stomach and found that his head, neck, arms, and upper body were awake but his legs were still sleeping.  He could see Frankie on his knees beside the river.  He was in the pose that the little creature had recreated.  Even from a distance, Zach could see that all of Frankie’s hair was gone, and his scalp had been clawed down to the bone.</p><p><br/>
“Frankie!  Stop!  Stop it!  I’m here!” Zach called.  He dug his elbows into the bloody mud that had surrounded him, and using them along with his hands, he crawled towards Frankie as quickly as he could, calling to him the entire time.  Frankie did not cease; he seemed to not hear Zach at all.</p><p><br/>
About midway Zach felt his knee move and knew that his lower body had awakened.  He tried to stand but his feet, still clad in his satin slippers, could not find purchase in the gory mud.  He fell to his knees and quickly crawled the rest of the way to Frankie’s side.</p><p><br/>
“Frankie!  I’m here!  I’m here!” Zach took hold of Frankie’s hands and pulled them away from his bleeding head.  Frankie did not fight to return his hands back to his head but he did not stop screaming.  Zach quickly looked around, trying to locate the tiny creature who had helped him, in the hopes that she could tell him what he should do.  She was nowhere in sight.</p><p><br/>
Zach realized that he knew what he had to do, but he couldn’t do it in his clothes.  If he did, all of the blood would be gone and it would defeat everything he had worked for.  He turned around and made his way back to the scene of his death and transformation using a cross between a crouch and a crawl.  Once he was back in the spot, he looked around again to make sure the tiny, flying lady was actually gone.  Seeing that she was, he pulled off his slippers and tossed them a bit away from him, and then pulled off the sodden, bloody rags he was wearing.  He saw his wig lying in the mud and he crawled over to it and with great contempt, stomped on it with his hand, driving it down deep enough so that it was barely able to be seen.  He dropped his blood-soaked clothes down near it and then totally naked, he turned and hurried back to Frankie.</p><p><br/>
“Shh, shh!  I’m here, Frankie,” he soothed while removing Frankie’s cloak.  “I came back.”  He continued to try to get Frankie to hear him as he removed his boots, but it was no use.  Frankie was lost somewhere in his mind and his screams drowned out Zach’s voice.  “I’m really sorry for what I am about to do, but I can’t think of another way.”  He scooped Frankie up in his arms and was shocked at how light Frankie felt.  He examined him closely and realized that Frankie hadn’t changed, Zach had.  His strength had become magnified.  Instantly his mind flashed back to the first night he met Frankie when Frankie carried him across the bog to protect his slippers.  At the time Zach had objected to it because Frankie was so small.  Frankie had assured him that he was very strong.  Now Zach understood why.  Vampires were much stronger than humans.  This pleased Zach immensely.</p><p><br/>
He rose to his feet with Frankie in his arms.  The ground beneath him was still slippery with mud, but there were also small pebbles everywhere so they helped him to get the traction he needed to walk upright.  He took a few steps and his bare feet made contact with the icy water.  He shivered all over his body.  Apparently vampires were just as affected by cold as humans.  He bit his lip and began walking until the water was waist deep on him.  All along Frankie had kept up his steady stream of wails, oblivious to Zach’s presence.
Zach stopped and kissed a clean spot on Frankie’s blood-soaked cheek nearest him.  “I’m so sorry, but I have to do this,” he whispered, and he threw Frankie into the water.</p><p><br/>
Frankie’s head bobbed back out of the water almost immediately.  He was choking and gasping for air.  But he had stopped wailing.  Zach grabbed Frankie into his arms.  “You’re fine,” he soothed as he thumped Frankie’s back to try to help clear the water from his throat and lungs.</p><p><br/>
Frankie’s coughing fit subsided and he was able to get in a deep breath.  He pulled back and looked at Zach.  Zach could see the sanity returning in Frankie’s eyes.</p><p><br/>
“Zach?” Frankie whispered in shocked surprise.</p><p><br/>
“Yes, it’s me, Frankie,” Zach gently said with a smile.</p><p><br/>
Frankie buried his face in Zach’s neck.  “I thought I’d lost you!” he said and began to cry.</p><p><br/>
“Shh,” Zach soothed.  “I’m here.  We’re here.  It was…just a bad dream and it’s over now.”  Zach carried Frankie out of the water and a short pace through the woods until he came to their special place.  He gently sat Frankie down on a stump and hurried over to his bag.  He was stunned to see that there were two thick blankets sat next to it.  He grabbed them up and hurried back to Frankie.  He wrapped one around Frankie and then wrapped the other one around himself.  He had not brought blankets with him and could only guess as to how they had gotten there.  One name kept running through his mind.  Temperance.  Somehow she must have known they would need them.</p><p><br/>
Frankie sat hunched over on the stump as if he had fallen asleep.  As soon as Zach felt a bit warmer and dryer, he went back to his bag and took out both sets of his clothes.  He brought them back to the stump and separated them into two piles.</p><p><br/>
“Frankie?  We need to get you dressed now so you will feel warmer.  Can you help me?” Zach asked.</p><p><br/>
Frankie nodded without looking up and the two of them managed to get him dressed.  During the process, Zach’s blanket came loose from his shoulders and exposed his chest to the cold night air.</p><p><br/>
Frankie pointed at Zach’s chest.  “You have something all over you.  It smells like dead blood.  What is it?”</p><p><br/>
Zach looked down at himself and saw that Frankie was correct.  He had waded into the water up to his waist but had not gotten his chest in the water.  It was a bit washed away from the places that Frankie had been when Zach carried him, but the rest was still a bit thick.  It had mixed with mud when he crawled through it.  “Um…it’s just mud.  I slipped earlier.  I’ll go rinse it off.”  Zach retrieved his cloak and draped it over Frankie’s shoulders.  “I won’t be long, I promise!”</p><p><br/>
He hurried back to the water and dropped his blanket at the grass on the river’s edge.  He waded out a few feet, shivering as the icy water crept up his legs.  He took a deep breath and plunged in.  He came up out of the water sputtering and shivering.  He hurriedly scrubbed at his body with his hands to remove all traces of the blood and mud mess.  He found one spot that was darker than any on his body that he could not remove.  He spent some extra time on it and then gave up and hurried to the shore.  He grabbed up the blanket and wrapped it around himself.  He clutched it tightly until he stopped shivering and then he used it to dry himself with it.  He noticed that even after rubbing that dark spot with the blanket, it did not fade.  He examined it better and determined it wasn’t a dirty spot, but rather a scar.  He had never had a scar there before.  Then the realization dawned on him.  It was the spot where the dagger had entered.  It was the mark of the cut that had ended his life as a human.  He knew from being around Frankie and the other vampires that they did not have scarring after injuries.  He reasoned that it must be because he sustained the wound while he was still a human.</p><p><br/>
He turned the blanket around so that the dry side would be against his skin and wrapped it around him tightly.  He hurried down the riverbank to where he had removed Frankie’s cloak and boots.  He bent down and gathered them up.  His heart clenched when he saw the hunks of Frankie’s scalp and hair scattered around.  He saw a patch of Frankie’s golden hair floating in the current.  Some tiny fish had gathered near it and were nibbling on the bit of scalp attached.  Zach’s soul filled with rage at the sight.  He dropped Frankie’s cloak and boots and he quickly darted his hand out and retrieved the hair.  “No!” he bellowed at the fleeing fish.  His voice sounded shockingly different to his ears.  He looked down at the hair he held clutched in his hand and saw that claws had appeared on the ends of his fingers.  With his tongue he located the presence of fangs that had emerged from his gums.</p><p><br/>
He looked around and realized he could see everything more clearly than he had ever seen in his life.  He smelled the strong odor of death in the area and knew it had been the smell of his own death—and a bit of the rabbits’ death as a small undercurrent in the mix.  He could see every bit of hair that Frankie had ripped from his head so he sat about gathering the pieces up and placing them in a pile near a boulder at the river’s edge.  He didn’t know why he felt compelled to do it, but he didn’t fight the compulsion.</p><p><br/>
As he added the last bit of hair to the pile, he noticed something glint in the water a foot or so away.  Zach thought it might be more hair so he stepped out to take a better look.  It was on the bottom of the river and when he reached for it, his hand wrapped around its familiar handle.  He pulled it up and examined it.  It was his dagger.  The one he had used to stab himself.  He frowned in confusion.  When he had awakened, he hadn’t thought to look for it.  He couldn’t imagine how it had gotten out into the river.</p><p><br/>
He used the edge of his blanket to dry it.  He smiled when he saw it gleam in the light of the moon.  He noticed that his claws had retracted as he clutched the dagger in his hand.  Logically he knew that he would never have a need for his dagger again.  As a human he had few defenses but as a vampire he was invincible.  Still, he was fond of it so he decided he would take it with him.</p><p><br/>
He picked up Frankie’s boots and cloak and started back to him.  When he arrived he found Frankie was still sitting in the same position as when he left.  Zach could see that the wounds on his head were almost healed, although Frankie hadn’t began to re-grow his hair yet.  Zach was grateful for the rapid healing but was a bit confused how it happened so quickly.  When Frankie had been burned by the sun’s rays it had taken much longer.  Some instinct whispered to him that each generation of vampires had learned to adapt and heal quickly from regular injuries, but none had learned to adapt to injuries from the sun.</p><p><br/>
He sat Frankie’s stuff down next to him and hurried over to his own clothes pile and began to dress very quickly.  He noticed that Frankie was responsive enough to pull on his boots and exchange the cloak of Zach’s he was wearing for his own.  Zach finished dressing and gathered up the wet blankets and the clothes Frankie had been wearing when Zach tossed him in the river.  He made a bundle from them and tied it securely.  He fetched his bag from where he had hidden it earlier in the evening.  He put the bundle and bag next to Frankie and then sat down on the ground next to the stump with a sigh.</p><p><br/>
He felt as if the evening’s events had suddenly caught up to him.  He was as weak as a kitten.  He wanted to lean his head against Frankie’s leg to rest, but Frankie seemed much weaker than Zach felt, so he just placed his hand there.</p><p><br/>
At Zach’s touch, Frankie stirred and reached up to touch his head.  He ran his hand along his bald scalp that was covered in scabs.  “I’m ugly,” he stated quietly, with very little strength in his voice.</p><p><br/>
“No, you are not!” Zach denied hotly.  “You are the most beautiful being I have ever seen in my life.”</p><p><br/>
“It wasn’t a dream.  You said it was, but it wasn’t.  I held you in my arms and you died.  You died!” Frankie said, beginning to cry softly.</p><p><br/>
“I came back, Frankie!  I’m here!” Zach said, gently squeezing Frankie’s leg.</p><p><br/>
“Only by some freak accident!  I could have lost you forever!”</p><p><br/>
“Accident?  I’m not so sure it was.  I think it was destiny,” Zach pondered.  “I think even going back to the first time we met was destiny.”</p><p><br/>
Frankie shook his head.  “If it was destiny, it started before we met.  The caravan had decided to go somewhere else but I overruled them because I had to meet you.  I had to see for myself ‘the prince with the empty eyes’ that I had heard about over a year previously and who had never left my thoughts.”</p><p><br/>
Zach smiled.  “I always wanted to run away, you know?  I never wanted to be a king.  But to run away from something is an empty dream.  One must be running to something not away from something to be fulfilled.  I learned that once I met you.”</p><p><br/>
“You will never be King now,” Frankie said sadly.  “Did you give it up because of me?”</p><p><br/>
“No.  I did it because of me.  Because of how much I wanted to be free and to be with you.”</p><p><br/>
Frankie sighed tiredly.  “I was so stubborn, Zach.  You were right when you said I didn’t listen.  I didn’t want to hear it.  I was…am…scared that one day you will regret this decision and you will blame me for it.”</p><p><br/>
Zach laughed quietly, “Frankie…I love you.  You are everything to me.  If you hadn’t shown up this evening, my plan was to stage my death and then make my way south.  Gigante told me I would always be welcomed there so I was going to ask him if I could stay with him and the elephants.  I knew you would be furious with me but by the time you found out, it would be too late.  I hoped that eventually I could convince you to change me into a vampire.  I have everything I ever dreamed of, right here, right now.  I will never regret it.”</p><p><br/>
“I tried to stop you,” Frankie said softly, staring blankly into the darkness of the night.  “After you plunged the dagger into your stomach, I tried to stop you from pulling it out.  I screamed for you to stop, but it was too late.  I caught you before you hit the ground.  The last word you said was my name.”</p><p><br/>
Zach gently squeezed Frankie’s leg again.  “The first word I said when I came back was your name.”</p><p><br/>
Frankie slowly turned his head and looked at Zach.  “I don’t remember anything except coming up from the river and choking on the water.”</p><p><br/>
“I’m sorry.  I had to do it.  You were…upset and you couldn’t hear me.”</p><p><br/>
“‘Upset’?” Frankie said with a humorless laugh, “I was devastated.”  He rubbed his hand over his bald scalp and quickly removed his hand at the feel of it.  “Once I asked you what it was like when someone you loved died.  Now I know.  The pain is beyond comprehension or description.”</p><p><br/>
“‘Someone you loved died,’”, Zach quoted softly.  “Are you telling me that you love me?  Because you never have.  At least not in a language I could understand.”</p><p><br/>
“I did,” Frankie said, wiping tears from his cheeks.  His voice broke as he continued, “But you were already gone.”</p><p><br/>
“I’m here now,” Zach reminded him.</p><p><br/>
Frankie nodded softly and then met Zach’s eyes.  “You are the love of my life and I am certain I will love you for all eternity.”</p><p><br/>
It was a solemn moment, but Zach couldn’t stop himself from smiling at Frankie’s words.  “Since you are the love of my life and I am the love of your life, can we blood bond now?”</p><p><br/>
Frankie shook his head ‘no’.  “There are things we need to discuss.  Plans on how we will handle things.”</p><p><br/>
“‘Things?’”</p><p><br/>
“Yes, things.  Things like arguments.  We are bound to have them…” Frankie began.</p><p><br/>
“No we won’t!” Zach interrupted.</p><p><br/>
Frankie smiled.  “Yes we will and right there is an example of it.  We see things in different ways.  And we are both stubborn and strong willed.  A combination like that is great when two work together, but when they don’t agree, it can get really bad.  Like how it did this evening in the field.”</p><p><br/>
Zach waved his hand in an attempt to brush the topic away.  “It doesn’t matter.  Even when you were angry with me and I was angry with you, I still loved you.  That didn’t change.  It won’t change.”</p><p><br/>
“Have you thought about eternity?  That never ends.  We would be promising that we will be together until the end of time.  The only way out of the blood bond is if both parties want it broken.  It is rare that both agree.”</p><p><br/>
“I see,” Zach said softly, looking down at the ground.  “I think what you are really saying is that you don’t want to blood bond with me.  You should just tell me that so I won’t keep asking you.”</p><p><br/>
Frankie slid off the stump and sat next to Zach on the ground.  “No!” he said, gathering Zach into his embrace.  “No.  I do want to blood bond with you!  I just…” he paused and ran his hand quickly over his head, “I just think we should wait for just a bit and take time to discuss things.”</p><p><br/>
Zach gently grabbed Frankie’s wrist and pulled his hand away from his bald head.  He leaned over and kissed the spot where Frankie’s hand had been.  Frankie flinched as if he had been slapped.</p><p><br/>
“Frankie, there is a pile of your hair beside a boulder at the spot where we were earlier.  If I was interested in your hair, I would be there right now, sitting on that boulder asking the hair to be with me for eternity.  But I’m not.  I am here, asking you.”</p><p><br/>
Frankie grinned and turned his face away.  “Tomorrow night we can.  It should be back by then.”</p><p><br/>
Zach looked around the area and sighed.  “Frankie…this was our private spot.  After tonight when we leave here, there will be no reason to ever return.  I suppose it will sound silly, but in the years to come, I would love to look back at this night, in this place, and remember our bonding.  Just me and you, in our spot.”</p><p><br/>
Frankie looked around the area and took a deep breath.  He let it out slowly.  “I do love this place.  I think I would like to remember here too.  My answer is yes.”</p><p><br/>
Zach squirmed around in excitement.  “Really?!!  That’s great!  What do we do?”</p><p><br/>
Frankie shrugged.  “I don’t actually know.  Blood bonds are private and not shared with others.”</p><p><br/>
“Well,” Zach said a bit crestfallen, “how will we know what to do or if we even do it right?”</p><p><br/>
“I think we just say what we feel, promise to stay together, and then drink from each other.  Intention makes it real,” Frankie answered.</p><p><br/>
For a moment, Zach’s memory flashed back to the bitter taste of Frankie’s blood and to the unbearable pain he had felt in his stomach after he had swallowed it.  The pain had been so horrible that he had used his dagger to try to kill the thing inside of him.  He licked his suddenly dry lips and nodded.  There was no pain he would not bear to belong to Frankie forever.  To lose him would hurt a hundred million times worse.  “I’m ready,” he said, looking at Frankie.  Even to his own ears, his voice sounded different.</p><p><br/>
Frankie grinned, “Your eyes are red and flashing.”  Frankie’s eyes lit up in response to them.  “I’m ready too” he said in his raspy vampire voice.  The sound of it sent chills of desire coursing through Zach’s body.</p><p><br/>
Frankie extended his wrist to Zach, and Zach offered his own to Frankie.</p><p><br/>
“Zach, you taught me what love really means.  With you my life has become a happy and joyful place, where before there was only pain.  I love you with all that I am and all that I will ever be.  I promise to love only you and will always be by your side until the end of time.  This is my vow to you.”</p><p><br/>
Overwhelmed by emotion at Frankie’s words, Zach had to take a moment and a few deep breaths before he could speak.  “Frankie, in my life before I met you I was poorer than the lowliest peasant.  I had every luxury imaginable but I had no happiness, no joy.  As soon as I saw your face I realized what had been always been lacking in my life.  I believe I fell in love with you that very moment.  I loved you then, I love you now, and I will love only you until the end of time.  This is my vow to you.”</p><p><br/>
By the time Zach had finished his vow, they were both in tears, their vampire personas long disappeared.  Frankie pulled himself together first.  “We have to drink from each other to seal the vow.”</p><p><br/>
“Frankie, I could drink your blood, but I can’t bite you.” Zach said feeling ashamed of his weakness.</p><p><br/>
“Zach,” Frankie whispered, using his vampire voice.  Zach looked up quickly and saw that Frankie’s eyes were glowing and his fangs were exposed.  “You must do it or we won’t be bound.”</p><p><br/>
Zach felt himself beginning to change as soon as he heard the difference in Frankie’s voice and by the time he saw the red flash of Frankie’s eyes, his fangs had emerged.  He nodded and raised Frankie’s wrist to his lips.  He took a breath and braced himself for the taste of Frankie’s bitter blood and for the pain that would surely follow.  He opened his mouth wide and then bit down deep.  At the feel of Frankie’s flesh under his fangs, his body became alive with desire and a ravenous hunger.</p><p><br/>
He felt Frankie’s fangs pierce his skin and his body responded with shudders as waves of desire flowed through him.  They drank from each other.</p><p><br/>
Zach was shocked to find that Frankie’s blood was sweet as it ran across his tongue.  Once he swallowed, the blood slid down his throat, warming each place it touched as if it was a fine, mellow wine.</p><p><br/>
Frankie pulled away from Zach’s wrist.  “Kiss me,” he whispered.</p><p><br/>
Zach hurriedly obliged.  He could taste his own blood on Frankie’s tongue as their kiss deepened.  Finally Frankie pulled away and smiled through his tears.  “It is done.  We are bound to each other forever.”</p><p><br/>
Suddenly thousands of tiny lights rose up from the bushes surrounding them.  The little lights swirled and danced around them and they watched in fascination, still being held tightly in each other’s arms.  One tiny light detached herself from the group and flew up to Zach.  She was smiling with tears on her tiny face.  She touched her heart and then raised her hand to her mouth and blew them a kiss.  She turned and flew away and the rest of the tiny lights followed her.</p><p><br/>
Frankie turned to Zach with his face filled with joy.  “That was amazing!”</p><p><br/>
Zach smiled at him.  “She helped me to understand what was happening when I first woke up.”</p><p><br/>
“What are they?” Frankie asked.</p><p><br/>
Zach stared at him in shock, “You mean you don’t know either?”</p><p><br/>
Frankie shook his head and laughed.  “I have never seen a creature so tiny and beautiful.”</p><p><br/>
“She read my mind, and although she never spoke to me, she was able to communicate with me by acting the words out.  She kept me calm.  I came back slowly and in stages.  Without her, I think I would have been frightened.”</p><p><br/>
“I am grateful to her,” Frankie said, pulling Zach into a hug.  “If I would have known you were coming back, it would have been me there with you.  Since I wasn’t there, I am glad she was.”</p><p><br/>
“You were a bit busy at the time,” Zach reminded him.</p><p><br/>
“Yes, losing my mind,” Frankie agreed.  Suddenly he startled.  “Did you feel that whisper of wind?”</p><p><br/>
Zach nodded, “Yes, I felt it on the back of my neck.  Why?  Does it mean something?”</p><p><br/>
“It means the dawn is approaching.  We must leave now and travel to our plane,” Frankie said, detaching himself from Zach’s arms.  He picked up the bundle of blankets and wet clothing that was on the ground nearest him and Zach picked up his bag.  Frankie reached for Zach’s free hand.</p><p><br/>
Zach noticed a brilliantly lit circle appear in front of them.  Frankie moved toward it, pulling Zach with him.  “You no longer need hide your eyes,” he said.  They stepped out of the woods and into the lit circle, together.</p><p><br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> Zach felt the familiar lift when they entered the lit circle and then there were thousands of flashing lights that whizzed in front of his eyes.  When he felt the familiar drop, just milliseconds later, he saw that they were in a sparsely furnished room—one unlike any that Zach had ever seen before.<br/>
</p>
<p> The walls and ceiling glowed with some interior light that made a very low buzzing noise.  The bed in the center of the room was very wide across; much larger than the one he had in the castle—which until that moment had been the largest he had ever seen.  At the far end of the room were two overstuffed chairs and one long piece of furniture that looked like a padded bench.  Zach estimated it would hold at least three grown adults with room to spare.  The room was warm and comfortable, but there was no sign of a fireplace.<br/>
</p>
<p> “Where are we?” he whispered.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie laughed weakly.  “There is no reason to whisper.  This is my home that I stay in when I visit our plane.”  He dropped the items he had carried and then sat down on the bed.<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach was examining him closely with a puzzled frown.  “Frankie?  You are talking differently.  You have no accent.”<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie nodded, “Neither do you.”<br/>
</p>
<p>“Me?” Zach asked with shock in his voice.  “I never have an accent!”<br/>
</p>
<p> “You do, actually.  A very heavy one.  But I think maybe we speak a different language here.  Our native language.  We forget it when we go to the human plane, perhaps.”  Frankie said and then bowed his head and closed his eyes.  “So tired,” he mumbled.<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach placed his bag next to the bundle that Frankie had dropped and then sat down next to him.  Seeing how tired Frankie was made him aware of his own exhaustion.<br/>
</p>
<p>He must have dozed off for a moment because he gave a hard startle when he felt hands on his shoulders, pulling him to his feet.  He jerked his head to the side and saw Frankie passively standing, allowing his clothing to be removed by creatures that Zach had never seen before.<br/>
</p>
<p> Their height was near that of a human man’s, but their arms were the same length as their legs.  They had huge eyes set into small faces, with barely a nose or mouth visible.  They were gray in color, and they were nude.  Zach scanned them quickly and realized that they had no distinguishable gender.  Their bodies were totally smooth.<br/>
</p>
<p>Two began to remove Zach’s clothing but he grabbed the material and held fast.  “Frankie!  What are these things?  What are they doing?” he squawked in a panicked voice.<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie tiredly rolled his head in Zach’s direction.  “They are the Caretakers.  They only come when a vampire is sick or hurt and they tend to them.  They will disappear when the vampire is cured.  Don’t struggle, they only want to help.”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach reluctantly allowed them to remove his boots and clothing.  He felt a great relief when they dressed him in a nightshirt, although it was one like he had never seen before.  It had two ties in the back but the area of his backside was open.  He reached around with his hand and pulled the material together.<br/>
</p>
<p>One of the Caretakers had pulled down the covers on the bed.  Frankie climbed into it and the covers were pulled snugly around him.  The Caretaker, who had exchanged Zach’s clothing for the odd nightshirt, led him to the other side of the bed.  It pulled the covers over Zach only up to his hips once he had settled onto the bed, and then raised Zach’s nightshirt and peered at the dark spot on his stomach.  Soon other Caretakers were there, examining it.  They didn’t speak a word to each other during it, but they did look at each other’s faces.  Zach guessed that they communicated with each other in their minds.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie rolled over to Zach’s side and levered himself up on his elbow to take a look.  “What is that spot, Zach?  It was never there before!”<br/>
</p>
<p> “No…it’s…it’s where the dagger was…” Zach fumbled for the words.  “It marks my last moment of being human.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie rolled back over to his side of the bed and put his arm across his eyes.<br/>
</p>
<p> “It’s fine now!  It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Zach quickly assured him.<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie didn’t answer but gave a small nod to indicate that he heard.<br/>
</p>
<p> Soon the Caretakers ceased their examination of the mark and smoothed down Zach’s nightshirt and pulled the covers up.  Two Caretakers approached the bed on either side of it.  Each carried what appeared to Zach to be something similar to a tankard.  Zach watched as Frankie took the tankard from the Caretaker, and supported by its overly long arm, sat up to drink from it.<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach reached for the tankard his Caretaker was presenting to him, and felt the creature’s arm come under his back and raise him up to drink.  He smelled the beverage and felt his claws and fangs emerge involuntarily.  He pushed the tankard back into the Caretaker’s hand.  “Frankie?  Is this blood?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie finished his beverage and the Caretaker removed the tankard from him and eased him back against the pillows.  “No.  It flows like rivers here on our plane and is the only thing the vampires consume while they are here.  The only thing that is remotely like it on the human plane is blood.”<br/>
</p>
<p> “So…the vampires live entirely on this substance?”  Zach asked, his brow knitted together in a frown of concentration.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Yes, it is our food and our medicine,” Frankie answered quietly, his eyes beginning to slowly close as sleep was fast approaching him.  “Drink it.  It will heal you.”<br/>
</p>
<p> “But…if this is all a vampire needs…why do they drink from humans?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie gave a low, growling, chuckle deep in his throat.  “You will understand it soon.  Do as the Caretakers bid of you.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach took the offered tankard from the Caretaker and again brought it near his lips.  He remembered his first drink of the bitter ale from a similar tankard and he remembered the first taste of vampire blood he had swallowed that had burned all throughout his body.  He expected to feel a combination of those events.  Instead, the drink tasted sweet, even possibly sweeter than Frankie’s blood had tasted during their bonding ceremony.  He took an experimental swallow of the beverage and instead of being hit with pain, he felt a welcoming warmth flow through his body.  He lifted the tankard again and tilted his head back and eagerly drank the contents.  When he was finished, the Caretaker removed the empty tankard from his hand and replaced it with another filled one.  Zach drank it swiftly and eagerly, and puzzled why Frankie had only received one tankard and had felt satisfied with it.<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach noticed that the lights begin to dim in the ceiling and walls, although the hum could still be heard.  The Caretakers backed away from the bed, but they stayed in the room.  He turned his head and saw that Frankie was sleeping peacefully.  He felt a wave of exhaustion surge through him.  He tossed a look towards the Caretakers and saw that they were all watching them closely.  He mentally shrugged and turned on his side and snuggled his face into Frankie’s neck and draped his arm over Frankie’s stomach.  He fell asleep immediately.<br/>
</p>
<p> He was awakened numerous times by the Caretakers, who would ease him up to a sitting position and have him drink more of the liquid.  He would groggily comply and then lie back down and fall instantly back to sleep.  At one point, after drinking the liquid, he became aware of the need to use the chamber pot.<br/>
</p>
<p>He didn’t speak of his need, but two Caretakers helped him up and walked him from the main room, down a small corridor, and then into a small room.  They steered Zach over and sat him down on a seat that had an opening in the middle.<br/>
</p>
<p>When he had grown elderly, Zach’s grandfather, the King, had a chair placed in his room that had a similar opening in it.  Under the opening was where the chamber pot was located.  His grandfather was able to relieve himself while sitting comfortably.  Zach realized immediately that the chair the Caretakers had placed him on served the same purpose.<br/>
</p>
<p> When he had finished, one of the Caretakers helped him to his feet while the other one flipped a lever that was on the side of the chair.  A sudden whoosh and roar followed the flipping of the lever and the noise terrified Zach.  He grabbed onto the Caretaker who had helped him off the chair.<br/>
</p>
<p> The Caretaker patted his arm gently and turned him to see what was happening.  There was water in the chamber pot and it was spinning like a whirlpool.  Zach watched in amazement as it slowed and finally came to rest.  There was no sign left to indicate that he had even used the chamber pot.  He could still hear noises coming from the chair, but they were quieter now.  They sounded much less angry.<br/>
</p>
<p> He hitched in his breath and realized he was clinging onto the Caretaker with a great deal of strength.  He removed his hand as he slowly exhaled.  The Caretaker patted him soothingly again.  As he struggled to calm himself, he allowed his eye to roam around the room and saw a tub for bathing.  He frowned in concentration when he saw it.  It was much larger than the one he used at the castle, and it seemed to be attached to the wall.  Zach puzzled over it for a moment.<br/>
</p>
<p>To heat the water necessary for the large tub would take hours.  And the manpower necessary to bring the buckets to fill the tub would be an extraordinary amount.  When he and Frankie had first arrived there, he had counted six Caretakers.  It would take almost ten times as many to bring the buckets to fill the tub with at least enough water to sit in.<br/>
</p>
<p> He looked around the room and noticed there was no window.  This is also puzzled over.  If there were no window to throw the water out of, how could they empty it?  The tub was dry and very white.  Zach realized it had probably never been used.  He gave a small nod at the thought.  They must have realized the mistakes that were made in the building of the giant tub.<br/>
</p>
<p>There was a large cupboard in the room and it had flaws also.  He could see inside it and saw that it was empty and shook his head.  It was no wonder that it was.  No one would want to put their private belongings in a cupboard that anyone could see into.  Also it only had two tiny shelves in a corner.  All of the other space was empty and unusable.  There was a large, oddly-shaped hook that perhaps could be used to hold a cloak, but nothing else.  He was still pondering the stupidity of the design, when the Caretakers helped him out of the room.<br/>
</p>
<p>As they approached the bed, Zach could see Frankie was still fast asleep.  Zach smiled when he saw that all of Frankie’s hair had grown back while they had been sleeping.  Zach knew that Frankie would be thrilled when he woke up and found he had his hair back.<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach settled back into the bed with a sigh.  He curled himself around Frankie’s back and couldn’t resist running his fingers through Frankie’s hair.  Frankie gave a purr of contentment and snuggled back against Zach.  Zach felt desire surge at the movement but he forced himself not to pursue it when he reminded himself that there were still Caretakers in the room.  He wasn’t happy about them watching him sleep, had felt embarrassed that they had witnessed him using their odd chamber pot, but neither of those things compared to how repulsive the idea of them watching he and Frankie joining together would be.  He sighed again, this time in frustration, and willed himself to go back to sleep.<br/>
</p>
<p>The next time he came fully awake, he stretched his arm out on Frankie’s side of the bed and found it empty.  He sat up quickly and looked around.  No one else was in the room except for Frankie who was immersed in reading a parchment.<br/>
</p>
<p>“Where did they go?” Zach asked.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie startled at the sound of Zach’s voice.  He gave Zach a huge smile as he put down the parchment in his hand.  “Well hello!  I was beginning to think you would sleep for years!  Do you feel better now?”  He got up from his chair and walked over to the bed.<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach yawned.  “I guess.  Still feel a bit drained.  Where are the Caretakers?”<br/>
</p>
<p>“They left ages ago.  They only stay as long as they are needed.  When they left, I knew that you were out of danger,” Frankie answered.<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach frowned, “I wasn’t in any danger.  I was just tired.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie sat down on the bed next to him.  “I have been thinking about that night…”<br/>
</p>
<p>“When, last night?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie laughed.  “Zach!  You have been asleep for a long time!  I think it would be probably about three or four weeks time if we were on the human plane!  So, no…it wasn’t last night.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach’s jaw dropped.  “That long?  How…I mean, did they give me ‘The Great Rest’?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie shook his head, “No, it was your body healing itself.  I have been up for a great deal of the time you were sleeping and it gave me time to remember the events of that night.  And one thing stands out very clear to me…I never went into blood lust!”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach shrugged, “I don’t understand why that is so important.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie nodded, “Yes, I understand why you wouldn’t since you haven’t been a vampire long.  You see, we don’t go into blood lust over dead blood, birth blood, a female’s cycle blood, animal blood, or vampire blood.  But we do for live human blood.  If you remember the time when your hands were bleeding while working in the elephant field, all of us that were vampires could smell it.  We all went into blood lust, we couldn’t help it, but we could control our actions.  I took you to Temperance and she bound your hands and disguised the smell of your blood while I fed on rats.  The others went to Paris and purchased blood.”<br/>
</p>
<p> “Yes, I remember that,” Zach agreed.<br/>
</p>
<p> “That’s why the idea that I didn’t go into blood lust is so important.  It can only mean one of two things—either your blood was already dead, or it had already turned to vampire blood!  When you plunged the dagger into your stomach and then pulled it out, all your blood came out with it.  That is why you have been so ill.  Your body had to remake everything you lost.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach slowly nodded.  “I think it was already dead.  I had lost my ability to see at that point and breathing was a struggle.  I think I would have died whether or not I stabbed myself.”<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie shuddered.  “So, I killed you with my blood,” he said flatly.<br/>
</p>
<p> “NO!” Zach exclaimed.  “You gave me life!”<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie sighed and gave a small shrug.  “I guess there is nothing that can be done now so there is no sense even discussing it.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach quickly scrambled to think of a way to change the subject.  “At one point I woke up and saw your hair had grown back.  You were asleep and I thought when you awakened, you would be so happy.  Were you?” Zach asked with a hint of a smile.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie’s hand went to his head, seemingly to reassure himself that his hair was truly there.  “Yes, probably too much.  I was vain to worry about such a thing when you were so ill.”<br/>
</p>
<p> “Frankie!” Zach said in a mildly scolding voice, “That wasn’t your only problem.  You were quite out of your mind for a while.  Are you recovered from that too?”<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie gave a small laugh, “I recovered my senses when you threw me into the river!  I was fully in my right mind when we blood bonded.  I think the emotional trauma did take a lot of my physical strength away, which is why I was so weak after.”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach grinned at Frankie, “So I didn’t dream that!  I’m so glad!  It seemed so magical, especially with the tiny creatures that lit up and flew around us afterward.  That was real, wasn’t it?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie grinned and leaned over to kiss his cheek, “Every bit of that was real.  You belong to me for all eternity, and I belong to you!”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach wrapped his arms tightly around Frankie and buried his face in Frankie’s neck.  “I have to confess something,” he whispered.  “My bladder is filled to bursting but I am afraid of your chamber pot.  I used it once and the noise it made and the rushing water…I was terrified!”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie patted his back and laughed, “You used it a lot more than once; you must only remember one trip.  Come with me, I’ll protect you.”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach got out of bed and reluctantly followed Frankie down the hall to the room that held the chamber pot.<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie opened the lid of the chamber pot and stood aside.  Zach stared at it, debating with himself if the need to use it outweighed his fear of it.  Frankie, seeming to sense Zach’s struggle, laughed.  “It is not a monster about to attack you!  We control when the water comes and I won’t let it come until you are finished.  I promise you.”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach nibbled at his lip and then nodded.  He used the chamber pot and when he was finished he jumped away from it.<br/>
</p>
<p>“No,” Frankie said with a grin, “You need to learn how to do this.  It is kind of fun.  When I was a little boy, I used to love to make the water come and go!”<br/>
</p>
<p> He showed Zach the lever on the side of the chamber pot and then had Zach to push it.  Frankie comforted Zach as they heard the whooshing sound.  They watched the water swirl around and then go away and have new water come back to replace it.  The chamber pot grew silent then.<br/>
</p>
<p> Even with Frankie there, Zach still felt a bit shaky near it.<br/>
</p>
<p>“It can’t do anything without someone pulling the lever.  It is quite safe.  I wouldn’t let you near it if it wasn’t,” Frankie assured him.<br/>
</p>
<p> “Is this some kind of vampire magic?” Zach asked with a puzzled frown.<br/>
</p>
<p>“No.  It is Caretaker magic.  They have a lot of magic and they built a few buildings here on our plane and the buildings are filled with all their tricks.  The old vampires, the many-great-grands, shun these buildings.  My mother always loved them so we live in them when we come here.  If you find that you don’t like it, we can take a home that doesn’t have Caretaker magic.  Before you decide though, I want to show you my favorite thing.”  He walked over to the cupboard.  “I love this!”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach shrugged, “It seems to me to be not thought out well.  The shelves are too small to store things properly, there is only that small hook to hang garments on, and anyone who was to come into this room could see your belongings.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie grinned.  He began to remove his clothes.  “It’s not to store things in.  It makes rain.  I’ll show you!”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach watched Frankie, with his jaw dropped, as Frankie stripped down to his bare skin.  Frankie looked up and gave a small laugh as he saw Zach’s eyes hungrily devouring him.  “Your turn,” he said, stepping into Zach arms.  He reached behind Zach and untied the two ties that held his nightshirt on.  With a slight pull, the nightshirt slid off Zach’s shoulders and landed in a puddle at his feet.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie opened up the door to the cupboard and pulled Zach in with him.  Zach could see Frankie twisting some handles and suddenly he was hit by a blast of cold rain.  He dodged away from the rain with a yelp.  Frankie giggled, “Just give it a moment.  Soon the rain will be warm!”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach stayed huddled against the wall of the cupboard but stuck his hand out to catch the rain.  Then he smiled and nodded when he found that the rain was indeed getting warmer.  “How is this possible?” he asked.<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie shrugged, “I don’t know.  It is Caretaker magic.  I grew up with it so I never thought to ask how it happens…it just does.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach stepped away from the wall and directly under what he had thought was a hook for cloaks.  This was where the rain was falling.  He leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a sigh as the warm rain ran down his body.  He started when he felt Frankie’s hand slide across his chest.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie held up a small, white rectangle.  “This is like Dyryke’s creation that we used in the river to remove the sand, but this is better!”  He held it up to Zach to smell.<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach grinned, “It smells like flowers!”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie took the rectangle and resumed rubbing it on Zach’s body.  After Frankie spent a great deal of time sliding that rectangle around on sensitive areas, Zach laughed and removed it from Frankie’s hand.  “My turn,” he said with a laugh, and began to glide it across Frankie’s chest.<br/>
</p>
<p>While Zach’s hands were occupied with the rectangle, Frankie reached out and ran his thumb lightly against Zach’s dagger mark.  Zach flinched away, and lowered his arm to cover the spot.<br/>
</p>
<p> “Does it still hurt?” Frankie asked with concern.<br/>
</p>
<p>“No,” Zach said, “I just…I just rather you not see it.  It’s ugly.”<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie frowned and pulled Zach’s arm away from the mark.  “There is no ‘you’ anymore.  There is no ‘me’ anymore.  We are ‘we’.  That mark is as much mine as it is yours.”  He bent down and kissed the mark and then ran his tongue lightly over it.<br/>
</p>
<p> A flare of desire raced all through Zach’s body and he felt his claws and fangs emerge at the sensation.  He quickly retracted them, but not before Frankie saw.<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie stuck his arm up to Zach’s mouth.  “Bite me,” he whispered.  His eye color changed to red and his own claws and fangs emerged.<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach shrank away from Frankie’s arm as if it were a venomous snake.  “No!  No, I don’t want to!”<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie gave a throaty laugh that was mixed with a purr, “You are lying,” he whispered.<br/>
</p>
<p> “Why?” Zach managed to croak out.  “Why do I want to?”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie grinned widely, his fangs fully exposed.  “Because we are monsters, Zach.  Predators.”  He advanced closer, he lowered his face to Zach’s neck and whispered against the skin, “Animals”, and then he bit Zach.<br/>
</p>
<p> Every nerve ending in Zach’s body screamed in ecstasy at the feel of Frankie’s fangs ripping his flesh.  Zach could barely breathe around the storm of sensations swirling in his body, “Frankie!” he panted, “In Paris, the place with the red door—the man, I saw you with the man…”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie licked the blood that had run from Zach’s wound.  “Yes,” he said softly and moved around behind Zach and gently pushed Zach’s head to the side to expose more of his neck.  “That’s what you want?”<br/>
</p>
<p> Zach gave a slight nod, “The sight of it haunted my dreams.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie lowered his face to Zach’s neck, but instead of biting, he gently dropped kisses on the exposed surface.  He raised his head and whispered in Zach’s ear, “I chose him because he looked a bit like you.  I allowed myself to pretend he was you.  I don’t have to pretend anymore.”  He lowered his mouth and bit down deeply and began to drink.<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach’s knees felt weak and he thought he might collapse from the sensations coursing through his body.  He grabbed Frankie’s arm nearest him for support, but as he pulled it closer to him, he felt the overwhelming urge to bite.  He surrendered to the internal struggle and bit down deeply into Frankie’s arm.  Frankie moaned in his ear, and Zach’s claws came out and dug into Frankie, holding Frankie’s arm firmly in place as he fed from the flowing blood.<br/>
</p>
<p>He didn’t think he would be able to stop feeding on Frankie, even if he wanted to.  And he didn’t want to.  The acts of biting and feeding felt even more exciting than how he had felt when Frankie was feeding on him.  He became overwhelmed with his emotions, and he removed his lips from Frankie’s arm and he struggled to slow his rapid breathing.<br/>
</p>
<p> “I love you, Frankie!  I love you so much,” he managed to choke out.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie removed his fangs from Zach’s neck and carefully turned him around so that they were facing one another.  Frankie grinned and Zach could see traces of his blood on Frankie’s fangs.  Frankie reached behind Zach and sank his claws into Zach’s back and raked down a swatch from his shoulder to his hip.  Zach moaned and sank into Frankie’s arms.<br/>
</p>
<p> Frankie whispered in his ear, “And I love you so much, too.”<br/>
</p>
<p>Zach grabbed Frankie’s newly-regrown hair and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss.  Again, he could taste his own blood in Frankie’s mouth as he had when they blood bonded and found that he quite liked the way it tasted.  He slid his hand down to Frankie’s hip and pulled him closer; he moaned deep in his throat when they made contact.<br/>
</p>
<p>Frankie pulled his mouth away.  “Here,” he said, holding out the familiar bag of Temperance’s magical creation, “We still need this.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zach lay back on the padded bench and sighed in contentment.  He propped his foot up on the back of the bench and admired the shine on his boots.  He rubbed his hand across his shirt and marveled at the softness of the material and smiled at the faint, flowery aroma that came alive with his touch.  Frankie had told him earlier that the Caretakers had cleaned his clothes and boots while he was sleeping.  Frankie wouldn’t let them clean his cloak, however.  Frankie had stated that, in his opinion, a cloak should smell of wood smoke, not flowers.  Zach was inclined to agree.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie entered the room and Zach felt desire run through his veins.  Involuntarily, he issued a purring sound from deep in his chest.  Frankie looked at him with a grin.<br/>
</p><p>“Thank you very much for that, but you need to rest.  I think three times is enough for now!”<br/>
</p><p>Zach reached out, grabbed Frankie’s arm, and pulled him down next to Zach on the padded bench.  He gathered Frankie close to his chest and dropped a kiss on his forehead.  “It will never be enough!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie placed his head on Zach’s shoulder and snuggled his face into Zach’s neck.  “The rain grew cold again in the cabinet.  I’ve never known it to do that before.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach ran his fingers through Frankie’s hair in silence for a while.  “This place,” he said, giving a slight gesture with his free hand to indicate the room, “Are you quite fond of it?”<br/>
</p><p>He could feel Frankie give a slight shrug, “I enjoy the Caretaker magic, but if you are not happy here…”<br/>
</p><p>“No!” Zach interrupted, “That’s why I asked.  I like it here.  I mean…I am sure I will like it better once I grow more accustomed to the chamber pot, but I can see why you picked it.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie nodded.  “If you could be anywhere else right now, where would it be?”<br/>
</p><p>Zach sighed, “Honestly…anywhere, as long as you were there, too.”<br/>
</p><p>“Zach, we’re blood-bonded.  We will always be together now,” Frankie reminded him.<br/>
</p><p>With another happy sigh, Zach pulled Frankie closer and gave him a gentle squeeze.  “The place I would most like to be is in your wagon,” he said softly.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie stirred a bit, “Uh, Zach—I have something to tell you about the wagon.  Something happened and it’s not exactly mine anymore.”<br/>
</p><p>“What??!!!  What do you mean it’s not yours anymore?!” Zach pulled Frankie off his chest and searched his face.  At first Frankie’s face was expressionless, but soon his eyes began to glow and a smile coyly flirted with his lips.<br/>
</p><p>“It doesn’t belong to me,” Frankie said, finally allowing the grin to spread across his face, “because it belongs to us now that we are blood bonded!”<br/>
</p><p>Zach gave Frankie’s arm a playful shake.  “That wasn’t funny!  I have been dreaming about living in that wagon since probably the first time I saw it!”  He smiled, “I would like to correct that…I have been dreaming of living there with you.”<br/>
</p><p>“And you shall!  That is your home now.  It doesn’t compare to a castle, of course…” Frankie trailed off, shadows gathering in his eyes.<br/>
</p><p>“The only ones who think living in a castle is great are those who have never had to!  It’s cold and damp, and filled with rats and rules!  It is honestly a very miserable way to live.  I remember leaving the castle during a storm and going to your—uh, I guess I should now say ‘our’ wagon.  It was snug and cozy even in the midst of a torrent!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie looked deeply into Zach’s eyes and gave him a slow, seductive smile.  “I remember that night, too.  It will be seared into my memory for all eternity.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach felt his entire body flush with a combination of embarrassment and desire.  “Let’s go home, Frankie!  Let’s go now!”<br/>
</p><p>“I am going to teach you some vampire magic.  Hold out your right hand, close your eyes, and think about where you want to go,” Frankie instructed.<br/>
</p><p>Zach held out his right hand, closed his eyes, and thought about the wagon.  He yanked his hand back to his chest and his eyes flew open as he let out a yelp.  He examined his hand.  “My hand felt like it was on fire!” he exclaimed.  He examined it, “But there are no burns!”<br/>
</p><p>“No,” Frankie said.  “It wasn’t real, just a warning.  That means that the sun is still shining there.  We could possibly make it safely to the inside of the wagon without encountering the sun, but it is wisest not to go at this time.  If you tried it when the sun was down, your hand would get a cool sensation.”  He got up from the padded bench and walked over to the wall where their cloaks were hanging on special hooks.  “Since we have time before we can go back, I would like to show you something.”  He walked back and handed Zach his cloak while putting on his own.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie walked over to a tapestry hanging on the wall, with Zach close on his heels.  Frankie turned and gave him a grin.  “I think you will enjoy seeing this!”  He pulled back the tapestry and Zach could see the darkness of the outside environment.  “Now slowly, reach out your hand.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach did as he was instructed but pulled his fingers back quickly when they made contact with some barrier.  “What is it?  What’s there?  I can’t see anything but I felt it!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie laughed, “It is Caretaker magic!  Watch!”  Frankie reached over and grabbed a shiny, gray handle and gave it a pull.  Zach could feel the coldness of the outside entering the room.  “The closest I can equate it to is an invisible door, like what is in the rain cabinet,” Frankie explained.  “Come outside with me.  There is something I want to show you!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie stepped out and Zach followed.  He kept his hand out in front of him to detect if there were any other invisible doors.  Frankie pulled the door closed behind them and Zach could hear a faint click as it slid into place.<br/>
</p><p>Zach realized they were standing on a floor but there were no walls around them nor ceiling above.  The railing that came up from the floor allowed Zach’s mind to understand that they were on something akin to the balconies at the castle.  He walked to the railing and peered over it, a decision he regretted instantly when he saw how very far up they were.  He jumped back and collided into Frankie, who laughed quietly at the contact.<br/>
</p><p>“There is no danger.  And besides, you are a vampire now.  If something happened, you could float or even fly away,” he said, slipping his arms around Zach’s waist and nuzzling into his neck.<br/>
</p><p>Zach laughed at himself.  “I forgot that I wasn’t human anymore!”  He sighed and leaned back into Frankie and watched the darkness moving around them.  “I love watching the darkness move and dance!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie mumbled “Um-hmm,” and then raised his head from Zach’s neck.  “You said that like you had never seen it before.”<br/>
</p><p>“Well, I haven’t…except for that last night, after I woke up.  It was one of the first things I noticed.  That and the orbs in the sky,” Zach explained.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie let go of Zach and walked to the rail.  He looked up at the sky.  “You mean that humans really don’t see these things?”<br/>
</p><p>“No,” Zach said, shaking his head.  “What humans see is just still darkness with little pinpoints of twinkling lights in the sky.  We do see the moon though, but it is the only orb we can see.  I’ve heard the sun is an orb, but I never looked.  It was too bright and always caused my head to pound in pain.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie gave a quiet chuckle.  “Sounds like you were always meant to be a vampire!  Do you see that small blue orb?” he asked, pointing to one located far in the distance.<br/>
</p><p>Zach nodded, “Yes, I see it.”<br/>
</p><p>“That’s it!”<br/>
</p><p>“That’s what?” Zach asked in confusion.<br/>
</p><p>“That is the humans’ planet!” Frankie answered.<br/>
</p><p>“Planet?  That is not the word you used before.”<br/>
</p><p>“Isn’t it?  Maybe the word is different in the vampire language.  No matter, what is important is that is the place where we live.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach frowned.  “I don’t understand.  When you explained it to me before, I thought it was all in one place—the vampire world and the human world, I mean.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie waved his arms around to take in the entirety of the sky and all the orbs present, “We are!  We are all in one place together!  See that large purple orb over there?  That’s Summerland.”<br/>
</p><p>“Summerland?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, the real home of the witches.  Also the wizards, and that thin line that runs down through the edge, do you see it?”  Frankie asked and when Zach nodded, Frankie continued, “That section is for the warlocks.  Temperance told me that the line is enchanted and the warlocks are unable to cross over to the witches’ side.”<br/>
</p><p>“I didn’t realize that witches, wizards, and warlocks came from the same place!  Then are they the same?” Zach asked.<br/>
</p><p>“Well, as much as I understand it, they all share common ancestors.  Warlocks were once witches, but they are now known as “Oath breakers”.  They didn’t go by the rules that the witches live by.  Wizards, on the other hand, separated from the witches under good terms.  They live on one side of the orb and the witches live on the other.  They are free to interact with each other.”<br/>
</p><p>“Can we go there?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie shook his head ‘no’.  “We can only travel to the human planet and here to our home planet.  Witches can’t travel here either.  They have the same limitations that we do.  Summerland or the human planet.  Caretakers can, though.  Caretakers can go to any of the planets.  And they do.”<br/>
</p><p>“Why can they do it but we can’t?” Zach asked, with a slight edge of offense in his voice.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie shrugged, “Caretaker magic is different than ours.  You can see it in this building.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach gave a slight nod and then looked back at the sky, “Which one is the Caretakers’ home?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie shrugged.  “I don’t know.  They don’t speak; at least they have never spoken to any vampire, so they can’t tell us anything.  I only know they are free to travel from place to place by conversations I have had with other beings and learning of the Caretakers’ presence on their own planets.”  Frankie shivered.  “Let’s return inside.  I am cold, and also there is something we must do before we leave here.”<br/>
</p><p>When they returned back inside, Frankie shut the invisible door behind them, and put the tapestry back where it had been.  Zach removed his cloak, and remarked on how warm it felt inside.  “I will say that I find the Caretakers’ magic to be very interesting,” he said.  “Heat with no fire; light with no candles—I would love to know how they do it.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie shrugged as he took Zach’s cloak from him and removed his own.  He hung them side-by-side on hooks on the wall which had been placed there for that purpose.  “I have been around here my entire life and I still don’t know.  The vampires who live in buildings not built by the Caretakers also don’t light and heat their homes the way we do on the human planet—but I understand those ways.  There are stones here that are used in the vampire homes—they give heat and light like fires and candles.  The light given is very similar to the light from candles and the heat is very similar to our wood fires, but without the smoky smell.  Here in the Caretaker buildings, the light is so much brighter and the heat is warmer.  And better than what can be found on the human planet and in the vampire buildings.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie picked up the parchments from the seat of the chair where he had been sitting when Zach awakened earlier.  He sat down in the chair and reached his hand over to a rod placed near him.  He tapped it with his finger and light issued from the top of it.  Two more taps and the light became extremely bright.<br/>
</p><p>Zach stared in awe and amazement at this light source.  He copied Frankie’s actions and tapped it with his finger and the light went away.  He yanked his hand back.  “What did I do wrong?” he asked, puzzled.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie grinned.  “Nothing.  I had it as strong as it gets.  You just snuffed it.  Tap it again; it will come back.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach did as he was told and gave it a light tap.  The light reappeared.<br/>
</p><p>“Tap it twice more.  I would like for it to be at maximum lightness,” Frankie instructed him.<br/>
</p><p>Zach gave it two more taps and the brightness of the light lit up the entire area.  He noticed that the writing on the parchments that Frankie held in his hand now showed the stark contrast between the white of the parchment and the black of the ink.  He realized that this light would enable someone to read much easier than light from a candle, or from an open window as was his way to read back in the castle.<br/>
</p><p>He smiled, “This is Caretaker magic, isn’t it?”  When Frankie agreed that it was, Zach examined the light a bit closer.  “A light source like this would have made reading a book so much easier,” he mumbled to himself.<br/>
</p><p>“‘Book?’”, Frankie asked looking up at him with a puzzled frown.  “What is a ‘book’?”<br/>
</p><p>Zach was terribly confused.  “I don’t know.  I’ve never heard that word before; and it is not what I said!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie tilted his head a bit to the side as he thought.  “We know that we are speaking a different language here.  Perhaps it is a word on the human planet that has no similar word here.  Spell the word you meant.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach gave a small bob of his head to show that he understood.  “C-o-d-e-x”, he spelled.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie frowned slightly.  “I don’t know that word either.  How is it pronounced?  Book?”  He stopped short and his frown became deeper.  “That is not what I meant to say either.  How very odd.  One would think that if a nonsense sound is used in replacement of a real word, it would sound similar to the original word.  No matter, please tell me what a c-o-d-e-x is.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach sat down on the padded bench across from Frankie.  “I didn’t know they were rare, but they must be since you have never heard of them.  Many artists have come to the castle over the years and bestowed a c-o-d-e-x to my grandfather as a gift.  As a result, there are probably about twenty-five or more c-o-d-i-c-e-s that have been collected and placed for display upon a shelf in the main family room.  Of course we were never allowed to touch them…”<br/>
</p><p>“But you did,” Frankie interrupted.<br/>
</p><p>Zach laughed, “Yes.  Many times.  They are constructed from two pieces of highly decorated pieces of wood, and when you open the wood pieces, there are numerous pieces of parchment inside.  They are sewn together and mounted to these pieces of wood by some kind of adhesive.  They are beautiful to look at, but the words and pictures inside are the best parts—and the parts that no one but me—and later Stewart—bothered with.  You see, inside were tales of adventure and bravery.  Pictures were drawn on the pages to show a snippet of the story.  From the time that I was young, I have often secreted them under my vest and searched for a window were the shutters were opened so that I could see the words and the pictures more clearly than I could see them by candlelight.  That’s what I was thinking about when I saw how bright the Caretaker’s light became with the third touch.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie had listened in rapt attention.  “So these,” he waved his hand with a grin, “I don’t want to keep spelling the word, and we can’t say it here, but these items…you shared them with Stewart?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes.  Stewart was always more obedient than I was,” Zach said with a laugh.  “He had never examined them on his own.  They were just decorative items on a shelf to him.  One day, after telling me the conclusion of one of the sea-faring tales from his instructor, he mentioned that he loved the stories so much but was afraid that he would lose parts of them in his mind as time wore on.  I realized then that that must have been why the artists had created the…items,” Zach grinned as he used the word for codices that Frankie had supplied earlier.  “Stewart instantly fell in love with the items.  Read them quickly at first and then more slowly the next few times.  There were no sea-faring stories, unfortunately, but he loved them anyway.  Stewart quickly grasped the idea that I was trying to convey to him—that if he were to write down the stories while they were fresh in his mind, and even make drawings of scenes from the stories, he wouldn’t forget them.”  Zach stopped and gave a slight grin before starting the next part of his story.  “As I have told you, we were all assigned people that we were to correspond with.  Parchment is precious so we were given only the amounts of it that were deemed necessary to complete that task.  However I knew something that no one else knew.  David didn’t stick to his assigned list and communicated with others as he chose.  Also, David’s room was left exactly as it had been upon his death.  I figured that he must have been allotted more parchment and more ink than the rest of us to have such a long list of correspondents.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie nodded, “Yes that sounds reasonable.  So…you broke into David’s room and stole the parchment and ink to give to Stewart, correct?” he asked with a grin.<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, of course.  But I was disappointed in the actual amount he had.  His pile of parchment was scarcely larger than my own.  I gave Stewart what I found and he began to work on writing the sea-faring stories that he remembered.  We had no idea how to turn the parchments into c-o-d-i-c-e-s, so the parchments were never sewn together and adhered to the wood pieces.  Instead, he kept the parchments hidden in the mattress ropes under his bed.”  Zach sighed.  “It kept prying on my mind that there had to be more parchment in David’s room.  I began to search it more thoroughly.  I kept coming up empty and it made no sense to me.  After a few days, maybe even a week, of searching, I sat down at his writing desk to ponder it.   I was going through the desk drawers again, even though I had searched them numerous times before, when it occurred to me that the drawers were short, even though the top of the desk was massive.  I tried to remove the drawer, but it was made so that it couldn’t slide all the way out.  I checked all the other drawers and found them to be the same.  I crawled under the desk and realized the opening was too small and the sides of the desk were too thick.  I ran my hands along the inside panel and found a small bump.  When I pressed it, a false door opened up.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie was staring at him with rapt attention.  “What did you find inside?”<br/>
</p><p>“Letters,” Zach answered.  “He had save correspondences from everyone on his list, plus more.  He had organized them by name and date.  I found some parchments alongside the letters.  He had made notes on it about all the different kingdom’s strengths and weaknesses.”<br/>
</p><p>“Why do you think he did that?”<br/>
</p><p>“I don’t know.  But when I read them, I had the uneasy feeling that he was using the information he gathered from his ‘friends’ to plan on how to attack them when he became king.  With the goal of seizing the crowns from others.”  Zach paused and gave a small shudder, “David was always weak but he had a sharp mind; perhaps even a devious mind.”<br/>
</p><p>“But…if that is true…that would mean…” Frankie was aghast.<br/>
</p><p>“That he was evil,” Zach supplied the answer.  He looked down at his hands, “I’m sorry he died, but if he had been planning what I think he was, well…let’s just say that John is not evil and will be a better king.  One that will rule a peaceful kingdom.”  He paused for a moment.  “I didn’t think it was wise to leave those plans there so I gathered them up and shoved them down my knickers.  I checked the other side of the desk and found another bump, and when I pressed it, the panel opened up to show a massive stack of parchment.  More than I had ever seen in my life.  There were numerous jars of ink and unused quills.  I didn’t think that they were merely being stored there, but secreted there.  How he obtained them in that quantity is still a mystery to me.  Anyway, I took a bit to Stewart—not enough to make him suspect the vast amount that David had actually accumulated—but enough for him to continue on with his project.”<br/>
</p><p>“And the plans that you had hidden in your knickers?” Frankie prompted.<br/>
</p><p>“I burned them as soon as I returned to my room.  I’ve never told anyone about them until now.”<br/>
</p><p>“By the time you found the plans they were no longer any use to David, but I am glad you burned them.  I agree that someone could have found them and put them to use,” Frankie said.  “By burning them, you might have saved countless lives.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach nodded slightly, “Especially given what the Royal Physician and the King’s Council were planning.  I am most thankful for the parchments that I gave to Stewart for him to write the stories and draw the pictures that came into his mind.  When he spilled his Great Rest tea and hurriedly cleaned it up, he saw them in the ropes under his mattress.  He didn’t understand them at first, but as the day wore on, he realized what they were and knew that the tea was bad.  He knew to save himself, and later me, simply because he saw them there.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie sighed.  “I have so been looking forward to hearing all that happened the day of your escape.  Will you tell me about it all now?”<br/>
</p><p>Zach shook his head slightly.  “There are so many parts involved, and each of us that were there has a version of the story to tell.  I think it would be best to wait until we are home and all together.  I promise that you will learn all the details.”  Zach looked at the parchment in Frankie’s hand and then looked up to meet his eyes.  “When I awoke, I saw you reading that which you hold in your hand.  Is this something that we need to discuss?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie shifted a bit in his seat, “Well…yes.  Um…these are legal papers.  We have to fill them out and take them to the court.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach shrugged slightly.  “Why?  For what?”<br/>
</p><p>“We are blood bound, that is true and that is what is really important, but…uh…our bond won’t be recognized until we do this.”<br/>
</p><p>“So…it doesn’t count?  That experience in our spot, the little creatures with their lights flying around us in celebration…it doesn’t count?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes!  Of course it counts!  But…” Frankie stopped and ran his fingers through his newly re-grown hair as if remembering when it wasn’t there.  “They do this in case…uh…in case one or both of us have changed our minds.  Once we file these parchments, we are bound for eternity, but not until.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach leaned forward, studying Frankie’s face intently.  “Have you?  Changed your mind, I mean?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie smiled and turned the parchment to face Zach.  He had already signed it.  “Never!  I signed it the moment it arrived!”<br/>
</p><p>Zach grinned and reached for it.  “Where do I sign?”<br/>
</p><p>“At the bottom, next to my signature, but Zach…you need to come up with a last name first since as a royal you don’t have one.  Unless of course you want to sign it Prince Zachary.”<br/>
</p><p>“No!  I would rather no one, except those closest to us, knows.  What name should I put?” Zach stared at the signature line, feeling overwhelmed.<br/>
</p><p>“That is up to you.  I know that most choose a name that honors their father, but I didn’t.  I took my mother’s last name.  You could use ‘Grande’ if you want!” Frankie suggested enthusiastically.<br/>
</p><p>Zach smiled as he laid the parchment on the table, “That’s sweet, but I think I would rather have a name that belongs to me.  I don’t want to honor my father though; John will do that when he takes the throne.  My mother?  I don’t know.  She and I aren’t close.  I mean, I do care for her more than I do my father.  When I was very young I felt close to her but as Royal sons, after we leave the nursery, we don’t generally spend much time with our mothers.”  He stopped, lost in thought for a moment.  “Except after David died.  I don’t remember actually being in my mother’s bedchamber before then, but she was grief stricken, so we all went in to sit with her.”  He grew quiet again.  He got up from the padded bench and walked over to the tapestry.  He pulled it aside and stood staring out at the darkness, watching it dance and swirl like ocean waves upon the shore.  Frankie watched him from his chair, keeping quiet to allow Zach to process undisturbed.<br/>
</p><p>Finally he turned and walked back to the padded bench.  He sat down with a sigh.  “Can a last name be based on a place, or a thing?”<br/>
</p><p>“Certainly!  Whatever feels right!” Frankie assured him.<br/>
</p><p>Zach gave a slow nod, still slightly lost in thought.  “I had forgotten the memory until I saw the box,” he said quietly.<br/>
</p><p>“The box?” Frankie prompted.<br/>
</p><p>Zach blinked and then focused his attention on Frankie.  “Yes.  While visiting my mother’s bedchamber, I saw a large box, carved from stone, sitting on her dressing table.  I felt drawn to it.  I walked over to it and ran my hand over the smooth, cold surface of it.  My mother was watching me and dismissed the rest of the family, ordering me to stay there with her.  After everyone had left the room, she got out of bed and joined me at the box.  She stroked the box just the way I had, and she gave me a small smile.  She asked me if I remembered the urn.  And it came back to me.”<br/>
</p><p>“Tell me,” Frankie encouraged quietly.<br/>
</p><p>Zach stared at the table between them, envisioning the memory.  “When I was very young, there was a large urn that stood in the foyer.  I loved it more than any other possession in the castle.  It was cold and smooth and beautiful.  Mother loved it too and she told me it was actually a red limestone, but because of the streaks of other colors in it, people referred to it as ‘red marble’.  Many of our fireplaces were clad in it too.  They had all been wedding gifts from my mother’s father.  Mined from a quarry in his Kingdom.”  Zach paused and a grin slowly spread across his face.  He looked up at Frankie and continued.<br/>
</p><p>“I was very young and was playing on the floor, next to my mother’s feet.  I must have been hidden by the bulk of her skirt because my father and grandfather took no notice of me when they came into the room.  They were very angry and shouting at my mother.  They had heard that mother’s youngest sister, a very minor princess, had become engaged to a Duke.  The Duke had received a dowry that was much more than what my father, a crowned prince, had received for my mother.  They stormed and railed at her for a while before they stalked out.  My Uncle Geoffrey hurried to my mother’s side and she buried her face in his shoulder.  I could see her whole body was shaking, and I was very upset—I thought she was crying, but when she raised her head I could see her face; she was laughing.  It was the only time I ever saw my mother laugh.”  Zach grinned as he finished.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie was frowning in confusion.  “Why was she laughing?  I don’t understand.”<br/>
</p><p>Still grinning, Zach explained, “My grandfather was the one who presented the terms to the marriage, including the dowry.  They had no idea how valuable the red limestone was or they would have asked for a lot more!  The Duke knew, so he asked and was granted the larger dowry.  I had forgotten about the urn and the fireplace fronts because they were removed right after that.  I am sure they were sold, not destroyed, because both my grandfather and father were greedy men.  The box in my mother’s bedchamber is all that is left of it.  She brought it with her when she was married so they had no claim over it.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie was now grinning, too.  “And your last name will be…?”<br/>
</p><p>“The stone, which outsmarted both my grandfather and father, is called ‘Rance Red Marble’.  Rance will be my last name, in honor of that stone.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie grinned and tapped his fingernail on the parchment on the table in front of Zach.  “Well…Mr. Zachary Rance, would you care to sign this bonding certificate now?”<br/>
</p><p>“I am afraid I cannot do that Conte Francesco Grande,” Zach said without looking up from the parchment where he was examining Frankie’s signature.<br/>
</p><p>“Oh?” Frankie asked, sounding perplexed and a bit fearful.  “Why?”<br/>
</p><p>“I have neither a quill nor ink!” Zach said, looking up at Frankie with a grin.<br/>
</p><p>With a small growl, Frankie fetched the items from the side table where he had been sitting and placed them on the table in front of Zach.  “You are not as funny as you think you are, Mr. Rance!”<br/>
</p><p>Zach dipped the point of the quill in the ink and carefully tapped off the excess.  “But you love me anyway,” he said with a grin as he bent to write his name on the certificate.  He wrote quickly and finished with a flourish.  He put the quill into the ink bottle and stood up, holding the parchment in his hand.  “Let’s go!” he said, handing it to Frankie.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie laughed.  “The ink isn’t even dry yet!”<br/>
</p><p>“It will dry on the way there!”  Zach strode over and grabbed their cloaks from the hooks on the wall.  “But this is it, correct?  The last thing we have to do to make it official?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie laughed, “This is it!  I promise!  Just be thankful we aren’t Clovis and Henry!  The court refused to accept their document based on their ages.  They even called in their mothers to try to force them to recant their bond.  Clovis and Henry refused and returned to the human planet.  A few weeks later, after the court learned that there was no actual age limit for blood bonds in the law, the court relented and Clovis and Henry were finally official.”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie threw his cloak around his shoulders and walked to a place in the wall that had a round knob protruding from it.  Zach quickly followed him.  Frankie twisted the knob and it caused the door to open.  Zach wasn’t terribly surprised by it because he had noticed hinges in the wall so he had assumed there was a door there.<br/>
</p><p>They stepped out into the corridor and Frankie reached back and pulled the knob and used it to close the door behind them.  Frankie walked across the corridor and pushed a button on the opposite wall.  Zach noticed that it lit up and the picture was a symbol pointing downwards.<br/>
</p><p>Zach surveyed the corridor, looking in each direction.  He noticed a few of the round knobs placed in regular intervals and knew this meant those were doors to other homes for vampires.  He looked down at the rug in the corridor and was amazed to find that there was no floor visible.  He bent down and touched where it met the wall to feel the edge for the missing floor.<br/>
</p><p>When he looked up, he saw Frankie watching him.  “There is no floor!” he exclaimed.  “How can there not be a floor?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie said, “There is a floor under the rug.  I remember once when I was very young, the rug was a different color.  A few days later this one was in its place.  There was a short period of time from when the old rug was removed, and this new one was put down, that we walked on a solid floor.  I think the rug is attached to the floor somehow.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach nodded as he stood up.  By Frankie using the word ‘somehow’, was confirmation that it was Caretaker magic.  Zach heard a sound like a small bell, and then the wall beside Frankie slid open in the middle and displayed a very small, unfurnished room.  Frankie smiled.<br/>
</p><p>“Come in here with me,” Frankie said.  “This was my favorite thing of all the Caretaker magic as a kid, and to be honest, it might still be!”<br/>
</p><p>Zach walked into the tiny room behind Frankie.  He noticed a panel with numbers, the 29 button had a light on, but the rest were dark.  Frankie’s hand bypassed all the numbers and with a finger, he pushed the button with the letter ‘L’.  The two doors slid shut and Frankie turned to him with a reassuring smile.<br/>
</p><p>“This is safe, so don’t be frightened.  But if you do get scared, remember—you are a vampire.  Nothing can ever really hurt you; you have powers.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach nodded and started to answer, but suddenly he felt as if his stomach moved—as if it had floated in his abdomen.  He didn’t feel pain, but it was an odd sensation.  He placed his hand on his stomach.  “What’s happening?” he barely managed to ask.<br/>
</p><p>“This room moves!” Frankie said with a laugh.  “See the numbers?”  He pointed to the panel.  Zach could see each one lighting up as if it were counting backwards.  He nodded to show that he understood.<br/>
</p><p>As the buttons went lower on the panel and approached the ‘L’, Zach felt a sensation that started with his feet and ran up to his knees.  “What is happening now?!!”<br/>
</p><p>“Now we are slowing down, preparing to stop.”  Frankie patted Zach’s arm reassuringly.  “It is fine!  This is what is supposed to happen.”  Zach felt the pressure in his legs increase slightly, and then the wall opened in the middle again.  Frankie walked out of the tiny room and Zach trotted behind him.  He looked back at the room and saw the walls were slowly closing it away from sight again.  He gave a tiny shudder.  He didn’t want to tell Frankie, but he hadn’t enjoyed the moving room at all!<br/>
</p><p>They walked a few feet and then turned a corner.  In front of them the area looked as if it were open to the night.  Zach didn’t feel any air moving, so he knew that what he was seeing was the Caretakers’ magical, invisible material.  As Frankie approached the invisible barrier, Zach turned to look behind them.  A box had been constructed from the invisible material and four of the Caretakers were inside it.  They were seated in chairs that looked very flimsy to Zach.  Each of the Caretakers was staring into a box that sat on a table directly in front of them.  Zach couldn’t tell what they were doing, but some of them seemed to be pressing buttons on a tray that was also placed in front of them at the table.  He turned back around in time to witness Frankie pushing down on a piece of metal that was placed in the center of one of the large pieces of the invisible material.  He pushed it outward, and as the panel swung open, Zach understood that this was a door to the outside.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie stepped out of the building with Zach close on his heels.  Zach looked around this foreign world and felt overcome by the strangeness of the place.  There was no sound from the steady wind and no smells that he could detect.  There were no trees or grass or even soil to walk upon.  Only stones of different sizes with the smaller pebbles creating a path on which they were walking.  He felt a bit of panic growing in his chest as none of his senses found anything remotely familiar.  Frankie linked his arm in Zach’s and in that instant; Zach felt his panic melt away.  No matter where they were, Zach felt at home as long as Frankie was there with him.<br/>
</p><p>“It is a bit different from the human planet, isn’t it?” Frankie asked.<br/>
</p><p>Zach nodded.  “Nothing seems to grow here, does it?”<br/>
</p><p>“No.  There is no need for anything,” Frankie pointed to a house they were approaching, “See?  The homes are small and made entirely of stone—no need for timber or thatch.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach studied the little home.  It was shaped like a rectangle with a flat roof.  Zach guessed that there must not be rain or snow worries here since the roof had no pitch.  There were no shutters to indicate windows, only a tiny door to allow entrance.  There wasn’t even a chimney, which, as Zach thought about it, it made sense.  No wood fires to keep warm so no smoke to expel from the home.  No cooking fires because they didn’t eat on this planet.  They lived off the red, bloodlike substance that Frankie had said flowed like a river throughout the planet.<br/>
</p><p>Zach stepped off the path and sat down on a huge stone.  It was hard and unyielding.  “So…furniture?  They don’t sit and sleep on rocks, do they?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie shook his head, and scoured the ground in the immediate vicinity.  After some moments, he found what he was looking for and plucked it up.  He handed it to Zach.  “For things like furniture and clothing, the residents here gather these and trade them with vampires on the human planet—for instance, my grandfather.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach examined the stone and then put it in his mouth and bit down on it.  The stone was soft and gave a little under his teeth.  He removed it from his mouth.  “It’s gold!”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, small deposits here and there around the planet.  Not vast quantities, but enough so that one can gather the necessary amount for purchases without too much work.  Some vampires even like luxury items, such as your trinkets, and they will put in a bit more work to gather enough gold for to pay for them.”<br/>
</p><p>“The trinkets from the castle?” Zach asked in surprise.  “They’re here?  When you said friends of your grandfather purchased them, I had assumed the friends were humans!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie nodded.  “Some are.  But some are vampires with a desire for nicer things than just the necessities.  Usually they are vampires that at one time lived on the human planet but returned here.  That is how they developed the taste for luxuries.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach got up from the rock and rejoined Frankie on the path.  They walked together in silence for a bit.  Zach was thinking about what Frankie had said as he focused his attention on the next tiny home made from stone.  “Frankie?”<br/>
</p><p>“Hmm?”<br/>
</p><p>“Why would they?  Come back here, I mean?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie followed Zach’s gaze and looked at the little house.  He gave a slight nod.  “You mean why would they come back to such a dreary place?  I understand how this seems to you, but that is because you haven’t been on the human planet as a vampire yet.  Our senses are much more acute than a human’s senses so we experience things differently.  Sounds are louder, smells are stronger, sights are more vivid—it can be overwhelming.  Do you remember how the many-times-great-grand family members left when the music started at the party I took you to?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, I do.  You told me that they would leave once the merriment started, and they did!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie nodded, “I am aware of how overwhelmed they feel by such things.”<br/>
</p><p>“My grandfather preferred the quiet of his chamber over festivities in the castle.  It must be an elderly affliction.”<br/>
</p><p>“Well…yes and no.  Most of the ones who return here from the human planet could be considered elderly, but they are not the only ones affected by the overwhelming of their senses.  Some vampires never even journey to the human planet because they have no desire to be there.  Some of the younger ones stay for a short time and then return here.  This place is our true home, and it is in our soul.  Even me, who was born on the human planet and has never lived here for an extended period; I still need to come back here from time to time.”  He paused and took a deep breath.  “It restores my energy.  I can’t really explain it well, but I assume that now that you are a vampire, you will feel the same one day.”<br/>
</p><p>They walked in silence for a bit.  Zach began to notice that the path they were walking on grew wider.  Up ahead he saw four huge, windowless buildings made from stone.  Instinctually he realized that they had entered the village, although there were no shops or pubs as there were on the human planet.<br/>
</p><p>As they walked past the first building, Zach asked what it was.<br/>
</p><p>“It is the school,” Frankie said, and then frowned.  “No, that is not what I said.  It is a nonsense sound to replace the words.  I will define it instead.  It is the place where the instructors are and learning takes place.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach nodded to show he understood.  It was like the Learning Shed on the castle grounds.  He even understood by its size that it was built to hold many learners.  The Learning Shed at the castle was much smaller since the Royal family only had seven children that ever needed to attend, and with the differences in their ages, hadn’t attended all at the same time.<br/>
</p><p>They walked on and as they approached the second of the large buildings, since their arms were entwined, Zach could feel the slight, involuntary tightening of Frankie’s arm muscle.  “What is that place?” Zach whispered—realizing from the tenseness of Frankie’s arm that it was not a happy place.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie glanced at it quickly and then looked away from it.  “It is the place where vampires who break the rules are kept.”<br/>
</p><p>“Is Antonio in that place?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie gave a slight nod.  “I hope he stays there for a long, long time, too!”<br/>
</p><p>Zach quickly tried to change the subject in order to ease Frankie’s tension.  “That building there,” he said as he pointed, “What is it?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie’s gaze followed Zach’s finger.  Once he saw the building that Zach was pointing at, he looked to the ground and continued walking for a few feet.  He sighed and then spoke very quietly, “It is a place where vampires go to die.”<br/>
</p><p>“Die?!!!  Die?  You told me that vampires never die!” Zach sputtered in his confusion.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie nodded slowly.  “Yes, I did.  And it is true, except sometimes it is not true.”<br/>
</p><p>“Well—when is it NOT true?” Zach questioned angrily.<br/>
</p><p>“When it is their choice to do so,” Frankie answered.  “Even then, it is not a true death like how other beings die.  It is more like a long sleep.  Some have returned from there, but most never do.”  He looked up and scanned Zach’s face.  He sighed again.  “Some vampires grow weary and even here on our planet, they become overwhelmed.  They go to that place and select a box, one that is very much like the coffins on the human planet.  They climb into it and pull the lid on.  Inside there are no sights, sounds, smells—nothing but darkness that does not move.  They rest in this box until they are ready to come out.  And like I said, most never choose to return.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach shuddered at the thought.  Frankie felt the shudder and nodded.  “Let’s think of more pleasant things!  The next building is where we are headed.  In just a very few moments this parchment in my hand will be turned in and our blood bond with be official and everlasting.  Are you still sure this is what you want to do?”<br/>
</p><p>Zach grinned, “Come on!  Let’s hurry; I don’t want to waste another second!”<br/>
</p><p>They quickened their pace and soon arrived at the entrance to the building.  They climbed the six stone steps that took them to an oversized wooden door.  Zach quickly concluded that the door must have been purchased from the human planet.  The mere fact that it was a wooden door was enough evidence, but also the carvings upon the door reminded him of the way the doors looked at the castle.<br/>
</p><p>Just inside the door was a corridor that branched off in different directions.  One even led to a staircase.  Zach didn’t have time to study the place as Frankie pulled him into a small office to the left of the entrance.  A man stood behind a long counter and his face lit up when he saw them enter.<br/>
</p><p>“Recent blood bond?” he asked.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie smiled at the man.  “Yes.  And we have brought our signed parchment!”<br/>
</p><p>“Good!” the man said as he accepted the parchment.  He read it over and then nodded with a smile, “It all seems to be in order.  As a formality, I have to ask, are you both certain that this bond is what you want?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes!” Frankie and Zach emphatically answered in unison, and the man laughed.  He folded the parchment into thirds and then reached for a small container that was perched on top of a glowing rock.  He tilted the container and poured a small amount of the contents onto the folded parchment.  Zach recognized the substance immediately as wax and knew it had come from the human planet.  The man used a short rod with an engraved tip to press into the wax.<br/>
</p><p>He then placed the folded, sealed parchment into a drawer next to him.  He gave them a huge grin, “It is done.  Congratulations!  Best wishes for eternal happiness!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie gave Zach a quick kiss.  He pulled back and his eyes were glowing.  Zach had never seen Frankie smile quite as huge as he was at that moment.  Zach felt himself return it.  “That’s it?  Nothing else we have to do?”<br/>
</p><p>“That’s it!” Frankie answered with a laugh, and then pulled him out of the office.  “Hurry!  We don’t want to miss it!”<br/>
</p><p>“Miss what?” Zach asked as he hurriedly stumbled behind Frankie.<br/>
</p><p>They trotted down the stone steps and stood in the large clearing in front of the building.  Frankie wrapped his arm around Zach and pointed with his other hand to the sky.  “It will be there!”<br/>
</p><p>“What will be…” Zach started to ask, but stopped when he heard a sizzling sound.  It was followed by a whooshing sound and then a thunderous explosion.  The sky where Frankie had indicated was suddenly filled with a huge, white flower that was created from fire!  Zach couldn’t believe his eyes.  Then bells from all over the vampire village began to ring merrily.  There was a burst of applause and Zach turned to find scores of villagers surrounding them, expressing their happiness for the newly-bonded couple.<br/>
</p><p>The fire flower burned away and the ashes of it floated silently to the ground.  The bells had stopped their ringing and the villagers disappeared.  But Zach could still feel the happiness and joy surrounding them.  “That was for us?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie nodded and with a huge smile he rose up off the ground and hovered over Zach.  “Come with me, Zach,” he said and stretched out his hand.<br/>
</p><p>“I don’t know how, Frankie!” Zach scoffed.<br/>
</p><p>“Yes, you do!  Come to me!” Frankie encouraged.<br/>
</p><p>Zach stretched out his hand and was shocked when he touched Frankie’s.  He looked down and saw the ground was several feet below him.  “H-how am I doing this?  Is this your magic?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie smiled, “No, it is yours!  Come!  Let’s fly back!”<br/>
</p><p>“Fly?!!” Zach squawked in surprise and then watched Frankie move away from him rapidly.  Zach felt the desire to fly and suddenly realized he was!  He caught up to Frankie and laughed in pure joy at the freedom of it all.<br/>
</p><p>They chased each other, soaring high before diving down so low that they almost hit the ground, and then abruptly rising again.  Their games took them far away from the village and occasionally Zach would take a moment to look around at the new places as they flew by.  From his short visit to the village to deliver their bonding parchment earlier, Zach had learned about the tall buildings.  He saw a few, dotted here and there, in other locations.  None of the type that contained the rule breakers; a few of the learning centers were spotted, and many of the buildings that housed the ‘dead’ vampires.  Whenever they would fly over that kind of building, Zach would inwardly shudder.  He had never felt so alive and full of joy as he was with his new life as a vampire.  He couldn’t imagine why a vampire would choose to die!<br/>
</p><p>It wasn’t long after that Zach noticed the buildings of the Caretakers off in the distance.  He didn’t know if they were the same ones that he and Frankie had been earlier, but something in him whispered that they were.  Frankie stopped and hovered in midair and Zach collided into him.  Frankie laughed.<br/>
</p><p>“Well, our game is over, you have caught me!” he exclaimed.<br/>
</p><p>“I didn’t catch you; you stopped!”  He pointed toward the buildings, “That’s where our home here is, correct?”<br/>
</p><p>“Yes,” Frankie affirmed.  “They are the only buildings of the Caretakers on the planet.  I want you to do as you did earlier.  Extend your hand and think about our wagon in the caravan.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach’s hands were cold from flying.  But even so, he wasn’t looking forward to the fiery heat that he had received as a warning earlier.  He reluctantly held out his hand and closed his eyes and thought about the wagon.  He could feel a cool mist swirling around his hand.  His eyes sprang open and he laughed with joy.  “It feels cool!  We can go home!”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie gave him a huge grin and took his hand, “Then let’s hurry!”  He took control and flew them towards the Caretakers’ building and quickly landed on one of the balconies.  Zach didn’t know how to land, so he stumbled a bit at the contact.  Frankie steadied him with a laugh.  “You fly like you were born to it, but your landing needs work!”  After Zach had regained his balance, Frankie stepped over to the invisible door and slid it open.  He drew back the tapestry that hung there and allowed Zach to step inside.<br/>
</p><p>Zach could see the ink and quill still on the table, and his bag of belongings and the blankets sitting on the floor where they had been when he and Frankie had left.  “How did you know which balcony it was?”<br/>
</p><p>Frankie shrugged as he shut the invisible door behind him and came fully into the room, “I don’t know—I just know.  That is probably an instinct that hasn’t fully awakened in you yet.  You will soon know things too, without knowing how you know them.”  He walked over and picked up Zach’s bag and the blankets.  “I want you to make the opening that will take us home.”<br/>
</p><p>Zach licked his lips nervously.  Of course he didn’t know how to do it, but he knew that Frankie wanted him to locate that power within himself.  He took in a slow, deep breath and thought, ‘I want to go home’ while picturing the inside of the wagon.  He felt a tiny flutter in his chest and saw the opening appear in front of him.<br/>
</p><p>Frankie slung Zach’s bag over his shoulder and handed Zach the blankets.  He slid his arm through Zach’s.  “I knew you could do it!” he said and together they stepped into the opening.<br/>
</p><p>As before, Zach was aware of the swirling pattern of flickering lights and then he stepped down.  The wagon was dark as no candles had been lit, but with his enhanced vision, he could see everything clearly.  He could smell the fragrance of the wood that had absorbed the sun’s heat during the day.  He could hear the voices and the music of the people of the caravan through the wooden walls of the wagon.  He looked at Frankie, his heart overflowing with happiness, and smiled with the prickling of tears in his eyes.  They were finally home!</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Rance Red Marble, also known as Rouge de Rance, is an actual stone that is mined in Belgium.  It is very rare and valuable.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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